6/9/05 - Harrisburg - S. 17th Street

A fast moving storm loaded with lightning swept across the Harrisburg region in the late afternoon hours keeping companies busy. At 1645 hours Box 501 (Steelton) was struck for smoke from the structure on Lincoln Street. Chief 50 (Vance) arrived and reported smoke showing, a house struck by lightning. Crews quickly extinguished a roof area fire in a 2.5 story, occupied dwelling. A minute after the 501 Box was hit out, Harrisburg City Task Force 1 was dispatched to the 1600 block of Catherine Street for smoke from the second floor windows. Members knocked down a trash fire to the rear of the second floor in a 2 story row dwelling. During this time Dauphin County companies responded to two reported structure fires in the 47 (Union Deposit) and 48 (Hershey) districts. Company 13 (West Shore) from Cumberland County also responded to numerous storm related calls, mainly AFA's. While some units were being cleared from the 501 Box a second call in Steelton Borough came in for an automatic fire alarm on S. 3rd Street. Chief 50 quickly placed companies in service at which time the 32 Box (Progress) was hit out for a reported structure fire sending Truck 32 racing up N. Front Street through Steelton and Harrisburg to the alarm. The reports were for a structure hit by lightning. While companies were enroute to the 32 Box, County Comm center tapped out the 58 Box (Middletown) for a structure fire on Fisher Avenue. Both calls were handled by first arriving companies and did not amount to a working incident. At 1745 hours, after city crews were handling Catherine Streets and numerous AFA's, Task Force 1 units were dispatched to 429 S. 17th Street in the Hill section for a structure fire. Squad 8, Wagon 3, Towers 1 and 3, and Chief 7 (Kumpf) responded. Tower 3 advised they were being delayed getting off Catherine Street and requested Tower 2 be dispatched. Shortly after Tower 3 advised they were enroute and Tower 2 placed in service. Enroute companies were advised of smoke from the second floor and of multiple calls being received. Squad 8 arrived on location with heavy smoke from an occupied, 3 story, middle of the row dwelling. Needing immediate manpower and an altered response led to the request of a second alarm. Wagon 4 took in the call from Catherine Street, which was only a few blocks away. Crews quickly stretched a line knocking down a fire on the second floor. Units remained on the scene for about 1.5 hours before clearing. All these incidents occurred in an hours time and inundated the County Comm Center which at one point requested units to transmit emergency traffic only.